- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 small onions, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoon caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 800 g large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 red chili, finely chopped
- salt and black pepper
- ½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped (15g)
- ⅓ cup fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped (10g)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 17½oz dried penne rigate pasta (500g)
- 5oz Parmesan, coarsely grated (150g)
- 5oz mature Cheddar, coarsely grated (150g)
- 5oz feta, broken into chunks (150g)
ingredients
directions
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the cumin and caraway seeds, onion and celery on high heat until the onion is softening. |
2. Add the sugar, dried oregano and tomato paste, cook for another minute, stirring occasionally, then add the tomatoes, chili and season with 1½ tsp of salt and plenty of pepper. |
3. Reduce the heat and leave the sauce to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. |
4. Add the basil, oregano, and garlic, stir through and set aside. |
5. In the meantime, cook the pasta until al dente according to the instructions on the package and, separately, mix the Parmesan and Cheddar. |
6. Drain the pasta and combine it with the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. |
7. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof dish (I used one of approx. 20×30 cm / 8×12″) and push the feta chunks into the pasta and sprinkle over the remaining cheese mixture. |
8. Place under a medium-hot broiler until the cheese melts and the top layer of pasta dries out and turns crispy. It may take anywhere between 8 and 15 minutes. Keep a close eye though! |
